Hi Forum friends:
I have a question. I am trying to answer some questions from a class of 5th graders who have two of the PMCA's gourd racks at their school.
12 gourds each and each student is in charge of 1 gourd this season.
This is an active colony of about 4 years now and they have asked me questions via e-mail. Most of the answers I have. But, I don't really know where the Purple Martin gets their name. I am asking for your help here, I know some of you must know and I appreciate the help. I have been looking in my bird books and there are lots of Martins, but I can't find out where it comes from. The purple part is easy. : )
Thanks,
Mike
Where does the name Martin come from??
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floridasunshinegoddess
Hi Mike!
I dug this up in Trotter's English Names of American Birds:
P.351
"Martin" (and its older form "Martlet") was evidently a nickname applied to the European Swallow (Chelidon urbica) and given by the colonists to our species of the genus Progne.
I dug this up in Trotter's English Names of American Birds:
P.351
"Martin" (and its older form "Martlet") was evidently a nickname applied to the European Swallow (Chelidon urbica) and given by the colonists to our species of the genus Progne.
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Mike Dingman
- Posts: 181
- Joined: Wed Dec 03, 2003 7:03 pm
- Location: Florida/Melbourne
Thank you Barb and Craig:
Your going to make me look smart in front of those 5th graders!
Appreciate the help.
Mike
Your going to make me look smart in front of those 5th graders!
Appreciate the help.
Mike
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TreeGreenwood
- Posts: 362
- Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 9:27 pm
- Location: Virginia/Catlett
Hi, Mike,
We in the Americas have much in common with folks over in the other hemisphere. Migratory martins, swallows and swifts are declining there. Winter habitat in Africa is being threatened by development and 'better' building practices throughout Europe have closed up the cavities used for hundreds of years by House Martins (Delichon urbica) and other swifts and swallows. I get a kick out of reading descriptions from web sites in the UK. "Martins are similar to swallows but smaller," is opposite from our hemisphere. Based on descriptions of House Martin vocalizations. they may be very similar to our Purple Martins. By the way, anybody know where to find on-line audio of House Martin vocalizations?
House martins http://www.lbp.org.uk/03action_pages/ac ... rtins.html are estimated to have declined 50% in the past few decades. Similar drops are estimated for swifts and swallows. Conservation groups in Europe and Africa are using some North American programs like the Cornell Lab of Ornithology http://birds.cornell.edu citizen science projects and PMCA as models to collect definitive data.
At the same time, individual hobbiests are providing nests. For example, see http://www.commonswift.org/nestbox.html and http://www.pearce-environment.co.uk/aca ... .html#a876. Notice the sale of birdhouses for English House Sparrows and Starlings.
'Yanks' are welcome in forums focused on migratory birds in Europe and Africa. I lurk on a couple, delurking to join discussions of SREH and other topics where I have pertinent knowledge or experience. Even in Europe, Starlings are a menace to other cavity-nesting birds.
Maybe your students will develop a global interest.
Take care,
Tree
We in the Americas have much in common with folks over in the other hemisphere. Migratory martins, swallows and swifts are declining there. Winter habitat in Africa is being threatened by development and 'better' building practices throughout Europe have closed up the cavities used for hundreds of years by House Martins (Delichon urbica) and other swifts and swallows. I get a kick out of reading descriptions from web sites in the UK. "Martins are similar to swallows but smaller," is opposite from our hemisphere. Based on descriptions of House Martin vocalizations. they may be very similar to our Purple Martins. By the way, anybody know where to find on-line audio of House Martin vocalizations?
House martins http://www.lbp.org.uk/03action_pages/ac ... rtins.html are estimated to have declined 50% in the past few decades. Similar drops are estimated for swifts and swallows. Conservation groups in Europe and Africa are using some North American programs like the Cornell Lab of Ornithology http://birds.cornell.edu citizen science projects and PMCA as models to collect definitive data.
At the same time, individual hobbiests are providing nests. For example, see http://www.commonswift.org/nestbox.html and http://www.pearce-environment.co.uk/aca ... .html#a876. Notice the sale of birdhouses for English House Sparrows and Starlings.
'Yanks' are welcome in forums focused on migratory birds in Europe and Africa. I lurk on a couple, delurking to join discussions of SREH and other topics where I have pertinent knowledge or experience. Even in Europe, Starlings are a menace to other cavity-nesting birds.
Maybe your students will develop a global interest.
Take care,
Tree
Last edited by TreeGreenwood on Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Martin man RI
- Posts: 441
- Joined: Sun Dec 14, 2003 7:04 pm
- Location: MA/RI area
Hi Mike
I hope this helps: The genus name of the Purple Martin Progne is from the
Greek word Prokne, daughter of Pandion. The legend goes that she was changed into a swallow the species name subis was used by a roman naturalist Pliny- it is latin for a bird that breaks eagles eggs! Ray
I hope this helps: The genus name of the Purple Martin Progne is from the
Greek word Prokne, daughter of Pandion. The legend goes that she was changed into a swallow the species name subis was used by a roman naturalist Pliny- it is latin for a bird that breaks eagles eggs! Ray
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Bob Flam
Tree, thats some weird housing they offer on the "woodcrete_boxes" link. Brick houses, The Kingfisher and Sand Martin Nest Tunnel...almost at the bottom...made out of concrete...looks wild!
bob
bob
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
The concrete or "woodcrete" which probably is a mixture of concrete and wood may be very desirable bluebird housing. I am thinking that it would be too heavy for martin housing. They do sound very interesting, and I hope someone tries them here in the USA
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Guest
A bit more on the word "martin" and its origin
Martlet according to Webster is :
Etymology: alteration of martinet, from Middle French, probably from St. Martin
Date: 15th century
Martlet according to Webster is :
Etymology: alteration of martinet, from Middle French, probably from St. Martin
Date: 15th century
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TreeGreenwood
- Posts: 362
- Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 9:27 pm
- Location: Virginia/Catlett
Bob, I see the stuff called 'hypertufa' in the US. I've made planters and fake rocks from the stuff but hadn't tried a birdhouse, though I might in the future. Mix 1 part Portland cement with 2 to 8 parts other stuff, usually sawdust, peat moss and/or perlite to keep it light. Mold it into the desired shape and keep it moist as it cures for a few weeks for maximum strength. The result is actually pretty light but this is way off topic...Bob Flam wrote:... thats some weird housing they offer ... made out of concrete...
Like our Purple Martins east of the Rockies, cavity-nesters in Europe have adapted to humans. For example, this site shows where common swifts are found nesting http://www.concernforswifts.com/WhereSwiftsNest.asp and http://www.londons-swifts.org.uk/index.htm. Looks like Swifts in Europe prefer cavities more suitable for Martins in North America. Europe's Martins build nests that are somewhat similar to Barn Swallow nests.
Tree
A bit of a mystery.
First off, the House Martin is a familiar bird in Europe and presumably always has been. It commonly builds its mud nests shaped like a vase (resembling the nests of our cliff swallows) under the eaves of houses. I remember them in my town when I was a kid over there.
So it must have been a familiar bird to Europeans ever since people were building large buildings.
Note that in England the word "martin" is also applied to what we call the "bank swallow" but they call the "sand martin". Unlike our purple martin, sand martins and house martins are both bodly patterned dark and white but more importantly, when in flight both generally resemble a purple martin in shape (or, more accurately, the shape of the purple martin resembles those other two species).
So maybe it was a natural that European colonists, seeing purple martins around Indian towns, would call them "martins".
As to the origin of "martin". St Martin's Day is apparently in November so no special connection there. One site has it that the name martin means "dedicated to Mars": (the Roman god).
A "martinet" is a stickler for rules, and house martins do appear especially neat or nattily dressed.
On the other hand "matin" means "morning" in French, and a house martin pair on your house will wake up pretty early and presumably start calling.
But the exact origin of the name? I dunno.
Mike Scully
First off, the House Martin is a familiar bird in Europe and presumably always has been. It commonly builds its mud nests shaped like a vase (resembling the nests of our cliff swallows) under the eaves of houses. I remember them in my town when I was a kid over there.
So it must have been a familiar bird to Europeans ever since people were building large buildings.
Note that in England the word "martin" is also applied to what we call the "bank swallow" but they call the "sand martin". Unlike our purple martin, sand martins and house martins are both bodly patterned dark and white but more importantly, when in flight both generally resemble a purple martin in shape (or, more accurately, the shape of the purple martin resembles those other two species).
So maybe it was a natural that European colonists, seeing purple martins around Indian towns, would call them "martins".
As to the origin of "martin". St Martin's Day is apparently in November so no special connection there. One site has it that the name martin means "dedicated to Mars": (the Roman god).
A "martinet" is a stickler for rules, and house martins do appear especially neat or nattily dressed.
On the other hand "matin" means "morning" in French, and a house martin pair on your house will wake up pretty early and presumably start calling.
But the exact origin of the name? I dunno.
Mike Scully
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Jim Beatson~SC
- Posts: 226
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 9:54 pm
- Location: Sumter, SC
- Martin Colony History: Started 2000
All natural gourds. Access ports and clinger SREH.
32 of 32 gourds occupied 2020
This corroborates Sculley's "dedicated to Mars" origin.
From The PURPLE MARTIN by Doughty & Fergus(Available at PMCA store.)
"The term martin is a proper name in French and derives from the Latin 'Mars,' the Roman God of War. The diminutive 'ten' or 'tin' is a pet name, leading to specutaltion that 'little mars' refers to the first month of the yearly calendar--the warring season, when first so-called scouts arrive in the Unites States."
Jim
From The PURPLE MARTIN by Doughty & Fergus(Available at PMCA store.)
"The term martin is a proper name in French and derives from the Latin 'Mars,' the Roman God of War. The diminutive 'ten' or 'tin' is a pet name, leading to specutaltion that 'little mars' refers to the first month of the yearly calendar--the warring season, when first so-called scouts arrive in the Unites States."
Jim
Tree,TreeGreenwood wrote:Hi, Mike,
We in the Americas have much in common with folks over in the other hemisphere. Migratory martins, swallows and swifts are declining there. Winter habitat in Africa is being threatened by development and 'better' building practices throughout Europe have closed up the cavities used for hundreds of years by House Martins (Delichon urbica) and other swifts and swallows. I get a kick out of reading descriptions from web sites in the UK. "Martins are similar to swallows but smaller," is opposite from our hemisphere. Based on descriptions of House Martin vocalizations. they may be very similar to our Purple Martins. By the way, anybody know where to find on-line audio of House Martin vocalizations?
House martins http://www.lbp.org.uk/03action_pages/ac ... rtins.html are estimated to have declined 50% in the past few decades. Similar drops are estimated for swifts and swallows. Conservation groups in Europe and Africa are using some North American programs like the Cornell Lab of Ornithology http://birds.cornell.edu citizen science projects and PMCA as models to collect definitive data.
At the same time, individual hobbiests are providing nests. For example, see http://www.commonswift.org/nestbox.html and http://www.pearce-environment.co.uk/aca ... .html#a876. Notice the sale of birdhouses for English House Sparrows and Starlings.
'Yanks' are welcome in forums focused on migratory birds in Europe and Africa. I lurk on a couple, delurking to join discussions of SREH and other topics where I have pertinent knowledge or experience. Even in Europe, Starlings are a menace to other cavity-nesting birds.
Maybe your students will develop a global interest.
Take care,
Tree
Carlymac from Tennessee here. I located a voalization wav. for the northern house martin (Delichon urbica) as well as many other birds. The last two summers I've spent in Europe and they are amazing little birds. They act look and sound more like our tree swallows. Hope this helps.
Carl
You may have to scroll down to the "D" section but the House martin is the first entry "Delichon Urbica" in the "D" section.
http://www.scricciolo.com/eurosongs/canti.htm
"Birds are wild because they have to be,
Man is wild because he chooses to be"
----Mark Twain
Man is wild because he chooses to be"
----Mark Twain
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Mike Dingman
- Posts: 181
- Joined: Wed Dec 03, 2003 7:03 pm
- Location: Florida/Melbourne
Tree, Jim, Scully, Carlymac, Dicklaxt, Emil, Bob, Ray, Craig, AND Floridashunshinegoddess.
I can't thank you all enough for all this great information. It's going to take me awhile to get to check all these web pages, but the information will be most helpful. AND yes, can you imagine if just a small percentage of thses kids take off with global ideas about our planet and our birds??
Really appreciate the help.
Mike
I can't thank you all enough for all this great information. It's going to take me awhile to get to check all these web pages, but the information will be most helpful. AND yes, can you imagine if just a small percentage of thses kids take off with global ideas about our planet and our birds??
Really appreciate the help.
Mike